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Die Dissertation beschreibt die Herstellung von ringförmigen Verbindungen (Naphthalenophanen) mit Hilfe der Dehydro-Diels-Alder-Reaktion, wobei immer Enantiomerenpaare auftreten. Es wird der diastereoselektive Aufbau von Naphthalenophanen und der enantiomeren reine Aufbau von Biarylen untersucht. Desweiteren werden die physikalischen Eigenschaften der erhaltenen Verbindungen, wie die Phosphoreszenz, Trennbarkeit der entstehenden Enantiomere und die Ringspannung beschrieben.
In this work, thermosensitive hydrogels having tunable thermo-mechanical properties were synthesized. Generally the thermal transition of thermosensitive hydrogels is based on either a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) or critical micelle concentration/ temperature (CMC/ CMT). The temperature dependent transition from sol to gel with large volume change may be seen in the former type of thermosensitive hydrogels and is negligible in CMC/ CMT dependent systems. The change in volume leads to exclusion of water molecules, resulting in shrinking and stiffening of system above the transition temperature. The volume change can be undesired when cells are to be incorporated in the system. The gelation in the latter case is mainly driven by micelle formation above the transition temperature and further colloidal packing of micelles around the gelation temperature. As the gelation mainly depends on concentration of polymer, such a system could undergo fast dissolution upon addition of solvent. Here, it was envisioned to realize a thermosensitive gel based on two components, one responsible for a change in mechanical properties by formation of reversible netpoints upon heating without volume change, and second component conferring degradability on demand. As first component, an ABA triblockcopolymer (here: Poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(propylene glycol)-b-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEPE) with thermosensitive properties, whose sol-gel transition on the molecular level is based on micellization and colloidal jamming of the formed micelles was chosen, while for the additional macromolecular component crosslinking the formed micelles biopolymers were employed. The synthesis of the hydrogels was performed in two ways, either by physical mixing of compounds showing electrostatic interactions, or by covalent coupling of the components. Biopolymers (here: the polysaccharides hyaluronic acid, chondroitin sulphate, or pectin, as well as the protein gelatin) were employed as additional macromolecular crosslinker to simultaneously incorporate an enzyme responsiveness into the systems. In order to have strong ionic/electrostatic interactions between PEPE and polysaccharides, PEPE was aminated to yield predominantly mono- or di-substituted PEPEs. The systems based on aminated PEPE physically mixed with HA showed an enhancement in the mechanical properties such as, elastic modulus (G′) and viscous modulus (G′′) and a decrease of the gelation temperature (Tgel) compared to the PEPE at same concentration. Furthermore, by varying the amount of aminated PEPE in the composition, the Tgel of the system could be tailored to 27-36 °C. The physical mixtures of HA with di-amino PEPE (HA·di-PEPE) showed higher elastic moduli G′ and stability towards dissolution compared to the physical mixtures of HA with mono-amino PEPE (HA·mono-PEPE). This indicates a strong influence of electrostatic interaction between –COOH groups of HA and –NH2 groups of PEPE. The physical properties of HA with di-amino PEPE (HA·di-PEPE) compare beneficially with the physical properties of the human vitreous body, the systems are highly transparent, and have a comparable refractive index and viscosity. Therefore,this material was tested for a potential biological application and was shown to be non-cytotoxic in eluate and direct contact tests. The materials will in the future be investigated in further studies as vitreous body substitutes. In addition, enzymatic degradation of these hydrogels was performed using hyaluronidase to specifically degrade the HA. During the degradation of these hydrogels, increase in the Tgel was observed along with decrease in the mechanical properties. The aminated PEPE were further utilised in the covalent coupling to Pectin and chondroitin sulphate by using EDC as a coupling agent. Here, it was possible to adjust the Tgel (28-33 °C) by varying the grafting density of PEPE to the biopolymer. The grafting of PEPE to Pectin enhanced the thermal stability of the hydrogel. The Pec-g-PEPE hydrogels were degradable by enzymes with slight increase in Tgel and decrease in G′ during the degradation time. The covalent coupling of aminated PEPE to HA was performed by DMTMM as a coupling agent. This method of coupling was observed to be more efficient compared to EDC mediated coupling. Moreover, the purification of the final product was performed by ultrafiltration technique, which efficiently removed the unreacted PEPE from the final product, which was not sufficiently achieved by dialysis. Interestingly, the final products of these reaction were in a gel state and showed enhancement in the mechanical properties at very low concentrations (2.5 wt%) near body temperature. In these hydrogels the resulting increase in mechanical properties was due to the combined effect of micelle packing (physical interactions) by PEPE and covalent netpoints between PEPE and HA. PEPE alone or the physical mixtures of the same components were not able to show thermosensitive behavior at concentrations below 16 wt%. These thermosensitive hydrogels also showed on demand solubilisation by enzymatic degradation. The concept of thermosensitivity was introduced to 3D architectured porous hydrogels, by covalently grafting the PEPE to gelatin and crosslinking with LDI as a crosslinker. Here, the grafted PEPE resulted in a decrease in the helix formation in gelatin chains and after fixing the gelatin chains by crosslinking, the system showed an enhancement in the mechanical properties upon heating (34-42 °C) which was reversible upon cooling. A possible explanation of the reversible changes in mechanical properties is the strong physical interactions between micelles formed by PEPE being covalently linked to gelatin. Above the transition temperature, the local properties were evaluated by AFM indentation of pore walls in which an increase in elastic modulus (E) at higher temperature (37 °C) was observed. The water uptake of these thermosensitive architectured porous hydrogels was also influenced by PEPE and temperature (25 °C and 37 °C), showing lower water up take at higher temperature and vice versa. In addition, due to the lower water uptake at high temperature, the rate of hydrolytic degradation of these systems was found to be decreased when compared to pure gelatin architectured porous hydrogels. Such temperature sensitive architectured porous hydrogels could be important for e.g. stem cell culturing, cell differentiation and guided cell migration, etc. Altogether, it was possible to demonstrate that the crosslinking of micelles by a macromolecular crosslinker increased the shear moduli, viscosity, and stability towards dissolution of CMC-based gels. This effect could be likewise be realized by covalent or non-covalent mechanisms such as, micelle interactions, physical interactions of gelatin chains and physical interactions between gelatin chains and micelles. Moreover, the covalent grafting of PEPE will create additional net-points which also influence the mechanical properties of thermosensitive architectured porous hydrogels. Overall, the physical and chemical interactions and reversible physical interactions in such thermosensitive architectured porous hydrogels gave a control over the mechanical properties of such complex system. The hydrogels showing change of mechanical properties without a sol-gel transition or volume change are especially interesting for further study with cell proliferation and differentiation.
It was the goal of this work to explore two different synthesis pathways using green chemistry. The first part of this thesis is focusing on the use of the urea-glass route towards single phase manganese nitride and manganese nitride/oxide nano-composites embedded in carbon, while the second part of the thesis is focusing on the use of the “saccharide route” (namely cellulose, sucrose, glucose and lignin) towards metal (Ni0), metal alloy (Pd0.9Ni0.1, Pd0.5Ni0.5, Fe0.5Ni0.5, Cu0.5Ni0.5 and W0.15Ni0.85) and ternary carbide (Mn0.75Fe2.25C) nanoparticles embedded in carbon. In the interest of battery application, MnN0.43 nanoparticles surrounded by a graphitic shell and embedded in carbon with a high surface area (79 m^2/g) were synthesized, following a previously set route.The comparison of the material characteristics before and after the discharge showed no remarkable difference in terms of composition and just slight differences in the morphological point of view, meaning the particles are stable but agglomerate. The graphitic shell is contributing to the resistance of the material and leads to a fine cyclic stability over 140 cycles of 230 mAh/g after the first charge/discharge and coulombic efficiencies close to 100%. Due to the low voltage towards Li/Li+ and the low polarization, it might be an attractive anode material for lithium ion batteries. However, the capacity is still noticeably lower than the theoretical value for MnN0.43. A mixture of MnN0.43 and MnO nanoparticles embedded in carbon (surface area 93 m^2/g) was able to improve the cyclic stability to over 160 cycles giving a capacity of 811 mAh/g, which is considerably higher than the capacity of the conventional material graphite (372 mAh/g). This nano-composite seems to agglomerate less during the process of discharge. Interestingly, although the capacity is much higher than of the single phase manganese nitride, the nano-composite seems to only contain MnN0.43 nanoparticles after the process of discharge with no oxide phase to be found. Concerning catalysis application, different metal, metal alloy, and metal carbide nanoparticles were synthesized using the saccharide route. At first, systems that were already investigated before, being Pd0.9Ni0.1, Pd0.5Ni0.5, Fe0.5Ni0.5 and Mn0.75Fe2.25C using cellulose as the carbon source were prepared and tested in an alkylation reaction of toluene with benzylchloride. Unexpectedly, the metal alloys did not show any catalytic activity, but the ternary carbide Mn0.75Fe2.25C showed fine catalytic activity of 98% conversion after 9 hour reaction time (110 °C). In a second step, the saccharide route was modified towards other carbon sources and carbon to metal ratios in order to improve the homogeneity of the samples and accessibility of the particle surfaces. The used carbon sources sucrose and glucose are similar in their basic structure of carbohydrates, but reducing the (polymeric) chain length. Indeed, the cellulose could be successfully replaced by sucrose and glucose. A lower carbon to metal ratio was found to influence the size, homogeneity and accessibility (as evidenced by TEM) of the samples. Since sucrose is an aliment, glucose is the better choice as a carbon source. Using glucose, the synthesis of Cu0.5Ni0.5 and W0.15Ni0.85 nano-composites was also possible, although the later was never obtained as pure phase. These alloy nano-composites were tested, along with nickel0 nanoparticles also prepared with glucose and on their catalytic activity towards the reduction of phenylacetylene. The results obtained let believe that any (poly) saccharide, including lignin, could be used as carbon source. The nickel0 nano-composites prepared with lignin as a carbon source were tested along with those prepared with cellulose and sucrose for their catalytic activity in the transfer hydrogenation of nitrobenzene (results compared with exposed nickel nanoparticles and nickel supported on carbon) leading to very promising results. Based on the urea-glass route and the saccharide route, simple equipment and transition metals, it was possible to have a one-pot synthesize with scale-up possibilities towards new material that can be applied in catalysis and battery systems.
In this work, the development of temperature- and protein-responsive sensor materials based on biocompatible, inverse hydrogel opals (IHOs) is presented. With these materials, large biomolecules can be specifically recognised and the binding event visualised. The preparation of the IHOs was performed with a template process, for which monodisperse silica particles were vertically deposited onto glass slides as the first step. The obtained colloidal crystals with a thickness of 5 μm displayed opalescent reflections because of the uniform alignment of the colloids. As a second step, the template was embedded in a matrix consisting of biocompatible, thermoresponsive hydrogels. The comonomers were selected from the family of oligo(ethylene glycol)methacrylates. The monomer solution was injected into a polymerisation mould, which contained the colloidal crystals as a template. The space in-between the template particles was filled with the monomer solution and the hydrogel was cured via UV-polymerisation. The particles were chemically etched, which resulted in a porous inner structure. The uniform alignment of the pores and therefore the opalescent reflection were maintained, so these system were denoted as inverse hydrogel opals. A pore diameter of several hundred nanometres as well as interconnections between the pores should facilitate a diffusion of bigger (bio)molecules, which was always a challenge in the presented systems until now. The copolymer composition was chosen to result in a hydrogel collapse over 35 °C. All hydrogels showed pronounced swelling in water below the critical temperature. The incorporation of a reactive monomer with hydroxyl groups ensured a potential coupling group for the introduction of recognition units for analytes, e.g. proteins. As a test system, biotin as a recognition unit for avidin was coupled to the IHO via polymer-analogous Steglich esterification. The amount of accessible biotin was quantified with a colorimetric binding assay. When avidin was added to the biotinylated IHO, the wavelength of the opalescent reflection was significantly shifted and therefore the binding event was visualised. This effect is based on the change in swelling behaviour of the hydrogel after binding of the hydrophilic avidin, which is amplified by the thermoresponsive nature of the hydrogel. A swelling or shrinking of the pores induces a change in distance of the crystal planes, which are responsible for the colour of the reflection. With these findings, the possibility of creating sensor materials or additional biomolecules in the size range of avidin is given.
Under standard conditions the cross metathesis of allyl alcohols and methyl acrylate is accompanied by the formation of ketones, resulting from uncontrolled and undesired double bond isomerization. By conducting the CM in the presence of phenol, the catalyst loading and the reaction time required for quantiative conversion can be reduced, and isomerization can be suppressed. On the other hand, consecutive isomerization can be deliberately promoted by evaporating excess methyl acrylate after completing cross metathesis and by adding a base or silane as chemical triggers.
With the present theoretical study of the photochemical switching of E-methylfurylfulgide we contribute an important step towards the understanding of the photochemical processes in furylfulgide-related molecules. We have carried out large-scale, full-dimensional direct semiempirical configuration-interaction surface-hopping dynamics of the photoinduced ring-closure reaction. Simulated static and dynamical UV/Vis-spectra show good agreement with experimental data of the same molecule. By a careful investigation of our dynamical data, we were able to identify marked differences to the dynamics of the previously studied E-isopropylfurylfulgide. With our simulations we can not only reproduce the experimentally observed quantum yield differences qualitatively but we can also pinpoint two reasons for them: kinematics and pre-orientation. With our analysis, we thus offer straightforward molecular explanations for the high sensitivity of the photodynamics towards seemingly minor changes in molecular constitution. Beyond the realm of furylfulgides, these insights provide additional guidance to the rational design of photochemically switchable molecules.
Continuous synthesis of pyridocarbazoles and initial photophysical and bioprobe characterization
(2013)
Pyridocarbazoles when ligated to transition metals yield high affinity kinase inhibitors. While batch photocyclizations enable the synthesis of these heterocycles, the non-oxidative Mallory reaction only provides modest yields and difficult to purify mixtures. We demonstrate here that a flow-based Mallory cyclization provides superior results and enables observation of a clear isobestic point. The flow method allowed us to rapidly synthesize ten pyridocarbazoles and for the first time to document their interesting photophysical attributes. Preliminary characterization reveals that these molecules might be a new class of fluorescent bioprobe.
In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden verschiedene Spektrometer für die Analyse von Gasen bzw. Gasgemischen vorgestellt und deren Design, Aufbau, Charakterisierung und Optimierung beschrieben. Das Resultat der Optimierung und Weiterentwicklungen ist ein spektral breitbandiges Cavity-Ring-Down-Spektrometer (CRD-Spektrometer). Ausgangspunkt der hier vorgestellten Arbeit ist ein Spektrometer auf Basis klassischer Absorptionsspektroskopie in einer Multireflexionszelle. Für dieses Spektrometer wurde als Strahlquelle ein Superkontinuumlaser verwendet. Der Vorteil dieses Spektrometers liegt in seiner Kompaktheit. Mit diesem Spektrometer wurden Absorptionsspektren von mehreren Reingasen und einem Gasgemisch über einen Wellenlängenbereich von 1500 nm – 1700 nm aufgenommen. Der qualitative Vergleich mit zu erwartenden Spektren, welche auf der HITRAN-Datenbank basieren, zeigte eine gute Übereinstimmung. Die quantitative Interpretierbarkeit der Daten war jedoch stark eingeschränkt aufgrund des hohen zufälligen und systematischen Fehlers der Messungen. Als Konsequenz aus der als nicht zufriedenstellend bewerteten quantitativen Interpretierbarkeit der Daten wurde eine alternative Messmethode gesucht, welche eine höhere Sensitivität und Genauigkeit ermöglicht. Die Wahl fiel auf die Cavity-Ring-Down-Spektroskopie, eine resonatorgestützte Variante der Absorptionsspektroskopie. Wesentliche Vorteile dieser Technik sind a) die Unabhängigkeit von Leistungsschwankungen der Strahlquelle, b) ein effektiver Absorptionsweg von bis zu mehreren Kilometern, welcher sich unmittelbar auf die Sensitivität der Messungen auswirkt, c) die Ermittlung absoluter Absorberkonzentrationen, ohne die Notwendigkeit einer Kalibrierung oder den Vergleich mit einer Referenzzelle und d) die Vernachlässigbarkeit von Absorptionen außerhalb des Resonators. Als notwendiger Zwischenschritt auf dem Weg zu einem breitbandigen CRD-Spektrometer wurde zunächst ein monochromatisches CRD-Spektrometer designt, aufgebaut und charakterisiert. Für die effektive Einkopplung von Strahlungsenergie in einen Resonator ist die Anpassung der Strahlparameter an die Mode des Resonators notwendig. Voraussetzung dieser Anpassung ist die Kenntnis der Strahlparameter, welche experimentell ermittelt wurden. Im Laufe des Aufbaus des Spektrometers ergab sich, dass trotz der Modenanpassung die Einkopplung der Strahlungsenergie in den Resonator gestört wurde. Daraufhin wurden systematisch mögliche Ursachen dieser Störung untersucht und das Spektrometer optimiert. Mit diesem optimierten Spektrometer wurden Spektren gemessen, welche sowohl qualitativ als auch quantitativ gut mit den zu erwartenden Spektren übereinstimmen. Als Nachweisgrenze dieses Spektrometers wurde ein Wert für den Absorptionskoeffizienten alpha von 10^-8 cm-1 bestimmt. Mit dem monochromatischen CRD-Spektrometer war es zudem möglich, isotopenspezifische Messungen durchzuführen. Für das breitbandige Spektrometer wurde als Strahlquelle eine ASE-Diode (amplified spontaneous emission) verwendet. Dabei handelt es sich um eine inkohärente Strahlquelle. Mittels Messungen nach dem Prinzip der Cavity-Enhanced-Absorptionsspektroskopie wurde die generelle Funktionalität des resonatorgestützten Spektrometers überprüft. Anschließend wurden die wellenlängenabhängigen Abklingsignale des leeren und des mit einem CO2-Luft-Gemisch gefüllten Resonators gemessen und ebenfalls mit den zu erwartenden Spektren verglichen. Qualitativ stimmen die experimentellen Spektren gut mit den zu erwartenden Spektren überein. Für die quantitative Interpretation der Daten wurde ein spezieller Algorithmus entwickelt, der die spektrale Auflösung des Systems berücksichtigt. Mit dem vorgestellten Spektrometer ist so die qualitative und quantitative Interpretation der Spektren möglich. Die Nachweisgrenze des breitbandigen Cavity-Ring-Down-Spektrometers wurde zu einem Wert von alpha = 8x10^-7 cm-1 bestimmt. Der systematischen und der zufällige Fehler der Messungen lagen bei Werten von ca. 1%. Bei diesem Spektrometer handelt es sich um einen Prototyp. Mittels Optimierung des Systems lassen sich sowohl der Wert der Nachweisgrenze als auch die Fehler der Messungen verbessern.
Modifizierung von Silikonelastomeren mit organischen Dipolen für Dielektrische Elastomer Aktuatoren
(2013)
Ein Dielektrischer Elastomer Aktuator (DEA) ist ein dehnbarer Kondensator, der aus einem Elastomerfilm besteht, der sich zwischen zwei flexiblen Elektroden befindet. Bei Anlegen einer elektrischen Spannung, ziehen sich die Elektroden aufgrund elektrostatischer Wechselwirkungen an, wodurch das Elastomer in z-Richtung zusammengepresst wird und sich dementsprechend in der x-,y-Ebene ausdehnt. Hierdurch werden Aktuationsbewegungen erreicht, welche sehr präzise über die Spannung gesteuert werden können. Zusätzlich sind DEAs kostengünstig, leicht und aktuieren geräuschlos. DEAs können beispielsweise für Produkte im medizinischen Bereich oder für optischer Komponenten genutzt werden. Ebenso kann aus diesen Bauteilen Strom erzeugt werden. Das größte Hindernis für eine weite Implementierung dieser Materialien liegt in den erforderlichen hohen Spannungen zum Erzeugen der Aktuationsbewegung, welche sich tendenziell im Kilovolt-Bereich befinden. Dies macht die Elektronik teuer und die Bauteile unsicher für Anwender. Um geringere Betriebsspannungen für die DEAs zu erreichen, sind signifikante Materialverbesserungen - insbesondere des verwendeten Elastomers - erforderlich. Um dies zu erreichen, können die dielektrischen Eigenschaften (Permittivität) der Elastomere gesteigert und/oder deren Steifigkeit (Young-Modul) gesenkt werden. In der vorliegenden Arbeit konnte die Aktuationsleistung von Silikonfilmen durch die Addition organischer Dipole erheblich verbessert werden. Hierfür wurde ein Verfahren etabliert, um funktionalisierte Dipole kovalent an das Polymernetzwerk zu binden. Dieser als "One-Step-Verfahren" bezeichnete Ansatz ist einfach durchzuführen und es werden homogene Filme erhalten. Die Dipoladdition wurde anhand verschiedener Silikone erprobt, die sich hinsichtlich ihrer mechanischen Eigenschaften unterschieden. Bei maximalem Dipolgehalt verdoppelte sich die Permittivität aller untersuchten Silikone und die Filme wurden deutlich weicher. Hierbei war festzustellen, dass die Netzwerkstruktur der verwendeten Silikone einen erheblichen Einfluss auf die erreichte Aktuationsdehnung hat. Abhängig vom Netzwerk erfolgte eine enorme Steigerung der Aktuationsleistung im Bereich von 100 % bis zu 4000 %. Dadurch können die Betriebsspannungen in DEAs deutlich abgesenkt werden, so dass sie tendenziell bei Spannungen unterhalb von einem Kilovolt betrieben werden können.
Diese Arbeit befasst sich mit der Synthese und der Charakterisierung von thermoresponsiven Polymeren und ihrer Immobilisierung auf festen Oberflächen als nanoskalige dünne Schichten. Dabei wurden thermoresponsive Polymere vom Typ der unteren kritischen Entmischungstemperatur (engl.: lower critical solution temperature, LCST) verwendet. Sie sind bei niedrigeren Temperaturen im Lösungsmittel gut und nach Erwärmen oberhalb einer bestimmten kritischen Temperatur nicht mehr löslich; d. h. sie weisen bei einer bestimmten Temperatur einen Phasenübergang auf. Als Basismaterial wurden verschiedene thermoresponsive und biokompatible Polymere basierend auf Diethylenglykolmethylethermethacrylat (MEO2MA) und Oligo(ethylenglykol)methylethermethacrylat (OEGMA475, Mn = 475 g/ mol) über frei radikalische Copolymerisation synthetisiert. Der thermoresponsive Phasenübergang der Copolymere wurde in wässriger Lösung und in gequollenen vernetzten dünnen Schichten beobachtet. Außerdem wurde untersucht, inwiefern eine selektive Proteinbindung an geeignete funktionalisierte Copolymere die Phasenübergangstemperatur beeinflusst. Die thermoresponsiven Copolymere wurden über photovernetzbare Gruppen auf festen Oberflächen immobilisiert. Die nötigen lichtempfindlichen Vernetzereinheiten wurden mittels des polymerisierbaren Benzophenonderivates 2 (4 Benzoylphenoxy)ethylmethacrylat (BPEM) in das Copolymer integriert. Dünne Filme der Copolymere mit ca. 100 nm Schichtdicke wurden über Rotationsbeschichtung auf Siliziumwafer aufgeschleudert und anschließend durch Bestrahlung mit UV Licht vernetzt und auf der Oberfläche immobilisiert. Die Filme sind stabiler je größer der Vernetzeranteil und je größer die Molmasse der Copolymere ist. Bei einem Waschprozess nach der Vernetzung wird beispielsweise aus einem Film mit moderater Molmasse und geringem Vernetzeranteil mehr unvernetztes Copolymer ausgewaschen als bei einem höhermolekularen Copolymer mit hohem Vernetzeranteil. Die Quellbarkeit der Polymerschichten wurde mit Ellipsometrie untersucht. Sie ist größer je geringer der Vernetzeranteil in den Copolymeren ist. Schichten aus thermoresponsiven OEG Copolymeren zeigen einen Volumenphasenübergang vom Typ der LCST. Der thermoresponsive Kollaps der Schichten ist komplett reversibel, die Kollapstemperatur kann über die Zusammensetzung der Copolymere eingestellt werden. Für einen Vergleich dieser Eigenschaften mit dem gut charakterisierten und derzeit wohl am häufigsten untersuchten thermoresponsiven Polymer Poly(N-isopropylacrylamid) (PNIPAM) wurden zusätzlich photovernetzte Schichten aus PNIPAM hergestellt und ebenfalls ellipsometrisch vermessen. Im Vergleich zu PNIPAM verläuft der Phasenübergang der Schichten aus den Copolymeren mit Oligo(ethylenglykol)-seitenketten (OEG Copolymere) über einen größeren Temperaturbereich. Mit Licht einer Wellenlänge > 300 nm wurden die photosensitiven Benzophenongruppen selektiv angeregt. Bei der Verwendung kleinerer Wellenlängen vernetzten die Copolymerschichten auch ohne die Anwesenheit der lichtempfindlichen Benzophenongruppen. Dieser Effekt ließ sich zur kontrollierten Immobilisierung und Vernetzung der OEG Copolymere einsetzen. Als weitere Methode zur Immobilisierung der Copolymere wurde die Anbindung über Amidbindungen untersucht. Dazu wurden OEG Copolymere mit dem carboxylgruppenhaltigen 2 Succinyloxyethylmethacrylat (MES) auf mit 3 Aminopropyldimethylethoxysilan (APDMSi) silanisierte Siliziumwafer rotationsbeschichtet, und mit dem oligomeren α, ω Diamin Jeffamin® ED 900 vernetzt. Die Vernetzungsreaktion erfolgte ohne weitere Zusätze durch Erhitzen der Proben. Die Hydrogelschichten waren anschließend stabil und zeigten neben thermoresponsivem auch pH responsives Verhalten. Um zu untersuchen, ob die Phasenübergangstemperatur durch eine Proteinbindung beeinflusst werden kann, wurde ein polymerisierbares Biotinderivat 2 Biotinyl-aminoethylmethacrylat (BAEMA) in das thermoresponsive Copolymer eingebaut. Der Einfluss des biotinbindenen Proteins Avidin auf das thermoresponsive Verhalten des Copolymers in Lösung wurde untersucht. Die spezifische Bindung von Avidin an das biotinylierte Copolymer verschob die Übergangstemperatur deutlich zu höheren Temperaturen. Kontrollversuche zeigten, dass dieses Verhalten auf eine selektive Proteinbindung zurückzuführen ist. Thermoresponsive OEG Copolymere mit photovernetzbaren Gruppen aus BPEM und Biotingruppen aus BAEMA wurden über Rotationsbeschichtung auf Gold- und auf Siliziumoberflächen aufgetragen und durch UV Strahlung vernetzt. Die spezifische Bindung von Avidin an die Copolymerschicht wurde mit Oberflächenplasmonenresonanz und Ellipsometrie untersucht. Die Bindungskapazität der Schichten war umso größer, je kleiner der Vernetzeranteil, d. h. je größer die Maschenweite des Netzwerkes war. Die Quellbarkeit der Schichten wurde durch die Avidinbindung erhöht. Bei hochgequollenen Systemen verursachte eine Mehrfachbindung des tetravalenten Avidins allerdings eine zusätzliche Quervernetzung des Polymernetzwerkes. Dieser Effekt wirkt der erhöhten Quellbarkeit durch die Avidinbindung entgegen und lässt die Polymernetzwerke schrumpfen.
Two new 3-hydroxyisoflavanones, (S)-3,4',5-trihydroxy-2',7-dimethoxy-3'-prenylisoflavanone (trivial name kenusanone F 7-methyl ether) and (S)-3,5-dihydroxy-2',7-dimethoxy-2 '',2 ''-dimethylpyrano[5 '',6 '':3',4']isoflavanone (trivial name sophoronol-7-methyl ether) along with two known compounds (dalbergin and formononetin) were isolated from the stem bark of Dalbergia melanoxylon. The structures were elucidated using spectroscopic techniques. Kenusanone F 7-methyl ether showed activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, whereas both of the new compounds were inactive against the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum at 10 mu g/ml. Docking studies showed that the new compounds kenusanone F 7-methyl ether and sophoronol-7-methyl ether have high affinity for the M. tuberculosis drug target INHA.
We report on the fabrication, modeling, and experimental verification of the emission of fiber lenses fabricated on multimode fibers in different media. Concave fiber lenses with a radius of 150 mu m were fabricated onto a multimode silica fiber (100 mu m core) by grinding and polishing against a ruby sphere template. In our theoretical model we assume that the fiber guides light from a Lambertian light source and that the emission cone is governed solely by the range of permitted emission angles. We investigate concave and convex lenses at 532 nm with different radii and in a variety of surrounding media from air (n(0) = 1.00) to sapphire (n(0) = 1.77). It was found that noticeable focusing or defocusing effects of a silica fiber lens in ethanol (n(0) = 1.36) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) (n(0) = 1.48) are only observed when the fiber lens radius was less than the fiber diameter.
Various 1,6- and 1,8-naphthalenophanes were synthesized by using the Photo-Dehydro-Diels-Alder (PDDA) reaction of bis-ynones. These compounds are easily accessible from omega-(3-iodophenyl)carboxylic acids in three steps. The obtained naphthalenophanes are axially chiral and the activation barrier for the atropisomerization could be determined in some cases by means of dynamic NMR (DNMR) and/or dynamic HPLC (DHPLC) experiments.
In many biological and environmental applications spatially resolved sensing of molecular oxygen is desirable. A powerful tool for distributed measurements is optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR) which is often used in the field of telecommunications. We combine this technique with a novel optical oxygen sensor dye, triangular-[4] phenylene (TP), immobilized in a polymer matrix. The TP luminescence decay time is 86 ns. The short decay time of the sensor dye is suitable to achieve a spatial resolution of some meters. In this paper we present the development and characterization of a reflectometer in the UV range of the electromagnetic spectrum as well as optical oxygen sensing with different fiber arrangements.
Novel hydrogels based on hydroxyethyl starch modified with polyethylene glycol methacrylate (HES-P(EG)(6)MA) were developed as delivery system for the controlled release of proteins. Since the drug release behavior is supposed to be related to the pore structure of the hydrogel network the pore sizes were determined by cryo-SEM, which is a mild technique for imaging on a nanometer scale. The results showed a decreasing pore size and an increase in pore homogeneity with increasing polymer concentration. Furthermore, the mesh sizes of the hydrogels were calculated based on swelling data. Pore and mesh size were significantly different which indicates that both structures are present in the hydrogel. The resulting structural model was correlated with release data for bulk hydrogel cylinders loaded with FITC-dextran and hydrogel microspheres loaded with FITC-IgG and FITC-dextran of different molecular size. The initial release depended much on the relation between hydrodynamic diameter and pore size while the long term release of the incorporated substances was predominantly controlled by degradation of the network of the much smaller meshes.
The ternary system composed of the ionic liquid surfactant (IL-S) 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium dodecylsulfate ([Bmim][DodSO(4)]), the room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethylsulfate ([Emim][EtSO4]), and toluene has been investigated. Three major mechanisms guiding the structure of the isotropic phase were identified by means of conductometric experiments, which have been correlated to the presence of oil-in-IL, bicontinuous, and IL-in-oil microemulsions. IL-S forms micelles in toluene, which swell by adding RTIL as to be shown by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) experiments. Therefore, it is possible to form water free IL-in-oil reverse microemulsions <= 10 nm in size as a new type of nanoreactor.
This paper focuses on two different strategies to incorporate gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) into the matrix of polyacrylamide (PAAm) hydrogels. Poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI) is used as both reducing and stabilizing agent for the formation of AuNPs. In addition, the influence of an ionic liquid (IL) (i.e., 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethylsulfate) on the stability of the nanoparticles and their immobilization in the hydrogel is investigated The results show that AuNPs surrounded by a shell containing PEI and IL, synthesized according to the one-pot approach, are much better immobilized within the PAAm hydrogel. Hereby, the IL is responsible for structural changes in the hydrogel as well as the improved stabilization and embedding of the AuNPs into the polymer gel matrix.
The supercapacitor is one of the most important energy storage devices as its construction allows for addressing many of the drawbacks related to batteries, but the low energy density of current systems is a major issue. In this doctoral dissertation, with a view to attaining high energy density supercapacitor systems that can be comparable to those for batteries, new heteroatom-containing carbons in the form of particles and three-dimensional films were investigated. A nitrogen-containing material, acrodam, was chosen as the carbon precursor due to the inexpensiveness, high carbonization yield, oligomerizability, etc. The carbon particles were prepared from acrodam together with caesium acetate as a meltable flux agent, and disclosed excellent properties in hydroquinone-loaded sulphuric acid electrolyte with high energy densities (up to 133.0 Wh kg–1) and sufficient cycle stabilities. These properties are already now comparable to those of batteries. Besides, conductive carbon three-dimensional films were fabricated using acrodam oligomer as the precursor by the inexpensive spin coating method. The films were found to be homogeneous, flat, void- and crack-free, and high conductivities (up to 334 S cm–1) could be obtained at the carbonization temperature of 1000 ºC. Furthermore, a porous carbon three-dimensional film could be formed using an organic template at the first attempt. This finding demonstrates the film’s potentiality for various applications such as supercapacitor electrode; the essential absence of contact resistance within the network should contribute to effective transportation of electron within the electrode. The progress made in this dissertation will open a new way to further enhancement of energy density for supercapacitor as well as other applications that exceeds the current properties.
Sugar-based molecules and polysaccharide biomass can be turned into porous functional carbonaceous products at comparably low temperatures of 400 °C under a nitrogen atmosphere in the presence of an ionic liquid (IL) or a poly(ionic liquid) (PIL). The IL and PIL act as “activation agents” with own structural contribution, and effectively promote the conversion and pore generation in the biomaterials even at a rather low doping ratio (7 wt%). In addition, this “induced carbonization” and pore forming phenomenon enables the preservation of the biotemplate shape to the highest extent and was employed to fabricate shaped porous carbonaceous materials from carbohydrate-based biotemplates, exemplified here with cellulose filter membranes, coffee filter paper and natural cotton. These carbonized hybrids exhibit comparably good mechanical properties, such as bendability of membranes or shape recovery of foams. Moreover, the nitrogen atoms incorporated in the final products from the IL/PIL precursors further improve the oxidation stability in the fire-retardant tests.
Various synthetic approaches were explored towards the preparation of poly(N-substituted glycine) homo/co-polymers (a.k.a. polypeptoids). In particular, monomers that would facilitate in the preparation of bio-relevant polymers via either chain- or step-growth polymerization were targeted. A 3-step synthetic approach towards N-substituted glycine N-carboxyanhydrides (NNCA) was implemented, or developed, and optimized allowing for an efficient gram scale preparation of the aforementioned monomer (chain-growth). After exploring several solvents and various conditions, a reproducible and efficient ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of NNCAs was developed in benzonitrile (PhCN). However, achieving molecular weights greater than 7 kDa required longer reaction times (>4 weeks) and sub-sequentially allowed for undesirable competing side reactions to occur (eg. zwitterion monomer mechanisms). A bulk-polymerization strategy provided molecular weights up to 11 kDa within 24 hours but suffered from low monomer conversions (ca. 25%). Likewise, a preliminary study towards alcohol promoted ROP of NNCAs suffered from impurities and a suspected alternative activated monomer mechanism (AAMM) providing poor inclusion of the initiator and leading to multi-modal dispersed polymeric systems. The post-modification of poly(N-allyl glycine) via thiol-ene photo-addition was observed to be quantitative, with the utilization of photo-initiators, and facilitated in the first glyco-peptoid prepared under environmentally benign conditions. Furthermore, poly(N-allyl glycine) demonstrated thermo-responsive behavior and could be prepared as a semi-crystalline bio-relevant polymer from solution (ie. annealing). Initial efforts in preparing these polymers via standard poly-condensation protocols were insufficient (step-growth). However, a thermally induced side-product, diallyl diketopiperazine (DKP), afforded the opportunity to explore photo-induced thiol-ene and acyclic diene metathesis (ADMET) polymerizations. Thiol-ene polymerization readily led to low molecular weight polymers (<2.5 kDa), that were insoluble in most solvents except heated amide solvents (ie. DMF), whereas ADMET polymerization, with diallyl DKP, was unsuccessful due to a suspected 6 member complexation/deactivation state of the catalyst. This understanding prompted the preparation of elongated DKPs most notably dibutenyl DKP. SEC data supports the aforementioned understanding but requires further optimization studies in both the preparation of the DKP monomers and following ADMET polymerization. This work was supported by NMR, GC-MS, FT-IR, SEC-IR, and MALDI-Tof MS characterization. Polymer properties were measured by UV-Vis, TGA, and DSC.
Cellulose is the most abundant biopolymer on earth. In this work it has been used, in various forms ranging from wood to fully processed laboratory grade microcrystalline cellulose, to synthesise a variety of metal and metal carbide nanoparticles and to establish structuring and patterning methodologies that produce highly functional nano-hybrids. To achieve this, the mechanisms governing the catalytic processes that bring about graphitised carbons in the presence of iron have been investigated. It was found that, when infusing cellulose with an aqueous iron salt solution and heating this mixture under inert atmosphere to 640 °C and above, a liquid eutectic mixture of iron and carbon with an atom ratio of approximately 1:1 forms. The eutectic droplets were monitored with in-situ TEM at the reaction temperature where they could be seen dissolving amorphous carbon and leaving behind a trail of graphitised carbon sheets and subsequently iron carbide nanoparticles. These transformations turned ordinary cellulose into a conductive and porous matrix that is well suited for catalytic applications. Despite these significant changes on the nanometre scale the shape of the matrix as a whole was retained with remarkable precision. This was exemplified by folding a sheet of cellulose paper into origami cranes and converting them via the temperature treatment in to magnetic facsimiles of those cranes. The study showed that the catalytic mechanisms derived from controlled systems and described in the literature can be transferred to synthetic concepts beyond the lab without loss of generality. Once the processes determining the transformation of cellulose into functional materials were understood, the concept could be extended to other metals and metal-combinations. Firstly, the procedure was utilised to produce different ternary iron carbides in the form of MxFeyC (M = W, Mn). None of those ternary carbides have thus far been produced in a nanoparticle form. The next part of this work encompassed combinations of iron with cobalt, nickel, palladium and copper. All of those metals were also probed alone in combination with cellulose. This produced elemental metal and metal alloy particles of low polydispersity and high stability. Both features are something that is typically not associated with high temperature syntheses and enables to connect the good size control with a scalable process. Each of the probed reactions resulted in phase pure, single crystalline, stable materials. After showing that cellulose is a good stabilising and separating agent for all the investigated types of nanoparticles, the focus of the work at hand is shifted towards probing the limits of the structuring and pattering capabilities of cellulose. Moreover possible post-processing techniques to further broaden the applicability of the materials are evaluated. This showed that, by choosing an appropriate paper, products ranging from stiff, self-sustaining monoliths to ultra-thin and very flexible cloths can be obtained after high temperature treatment. Furthermore cellulose has been demonstrated to be a very good substrate for many structuring and patterning techniques from origami folding to ink-jet printing. The thereby resulting products have been employed as electrodes, which was exemplified by electrodepositing copper onto them. Via ink-jet printing they have additionally been patterned and the resulting electrodes have also been post functionalised by electro-deposition of copper onto the graphitised (printed) parts of the samples. Lastly in a preliminary test the possibility of printing several metals simultaneously and thereby producing finely tuneable gradients from one metal to another have successfully been made. Starting from these concepts future experiments were outlined. The last chapter of this thesis concerned itself with alternative synthesis methods of the iron-carbon composite, thereby testing the robustness of the devolved reactions. By performing the synthesis with partly dissolved scrap metal and pieces of raw, dry wood, some progress for further use of the general synthesis technique were made. For example by using wood instead of processed cellulose all the established shaping techniques available for wooden objects, such as CNC milling or 3D prototyping, become accessible for the synthesis path. Also by using wood its intrinsic well defined porosity and the fact that large monoliths are obtained help expanding the prospect of using the composite. It was also demonstrated in this chapter that the resulting material can be applied for the environmentally important issue of waste water cleansing. Additionally to being made from renewable resources and by a cheap and easy one-pot synthesis, the material is recyclable, since the pollutants can be recovered by washing with ethanol. Most importantly this chapter covered experiments where the reaction was performed in a crude, home-built glass vessel, fuelled – with the help of a Fresnel lens – only by direct concentrated sunlight irradiation. This concept carries the thus far presented synthetic procedures from being common laboratory syntheses to a real world application. Based on cellulose, transition metals and simple equipment, this work enabled the easy one-pot synthesis of nano-ceramic and metal nanoparticle composites otherwise not readily accessible. Furthermore were structuring and patterning techniques and synthesis routes involving only renewable resources and environmentally benign procedures established here. Thereby it has laid the foundation for a multitude of applications and pointed towards several future projects reaching from fundamental research, to application focussed research and even and industry relevant engineering project was envisioned.
Hydrothermal carbonisation
(2013)
The world’s appetite for energy is producing growing quantities of CO2, a pollutant that contributes to the warming of the planet and which currently cannot be removed or stored in any significant way. Other natural reserves are also being devoured at alarming rates and current assessments suggest that we will need to identify alternative sources in the near future. With the aid of materials chemistry it should be possible to create a world in which energy use needs not be limited and where usable energy can be produced and stored wherever it is needed, where we can minimize and remediate emissions as new consumer products are created, whilst healing the planet and preventing further disruptive and harmful depletion of valuable mineral assets. In achieving these aims, the creation of new and very importantly greener industries and new sustainable pathways are crucial. In all of the aforementioned applications, new materials based on carbon, ideally produced via inexpensive, low energy consumption methods, using renewable resources as precursors, with flexible morphologies, pore structures and functionalities, are increasingly viewed as ideal candidates to fulfill these goals. The resulting materials should be a feasible solution for the efficient storage of energy and gases. At the end of life, such materials ideally must act to improve soil quality and to act as potential CO2 storage sinks. This is exactly the subject of this habilitation thesis: an alternative technology to produce carbon materials from biomass in water using low carbonisation temperatures and self-generated pressures. This technology is called hydrothermal carbonisation. It has been developed during the past five years by a group of young and talented researchers working under the supervision of Dr. Titirici at the Max-Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces and it is now a well-recognised methodology to produce carbon materials with important application in our daily lives. These applications include electrodes for portable electronic devices, filters for water purification, catalysts for the production of important chemicals as well as drug delivery systems and sensors.
The thermally induced shape-memory effect of polymers is typically characterized by cyclic uniaxial thermomechanical tests. Here, a molecular-dynamics (MD) simulation approach of such a cyclic uniaxial thermomechanical test is presented for amorphous switching domains of poly(L-lactide) (PLLA). Uniaxial deformation of the constructed PLLA models is simulated with a Parinello-Rahman scheme, as well as a pragmatic geometrical approach. We are able to describe two subsequent test cycles using the presented simulation approach. The obtained simulated shape-memory properties in both test cycles are similar and independent of the applied deformation protocols. The simulated PLLA shows high shape fixity ratios (Rf 94%), but only a moderate shape recovery ratio is obtained (Rr 30%). Finally, the structural changes during the simulated test are characterized by analysis of the changes in the dihedral angle distributions.
Herein, we report the synthesis of two phenylaza-[18]crown-6 lariat ethers with a coumarin fluorophore (1 and 2) and we reveal that compound 1 is an excellent probe for K+ ions under simulated physiological conditions. The presence of a 2-methoxyethoxy lariat group at the ortho position of the anilino moiety is crucial to the substantially increased stability of compounds 1 and 2 over their lariat-free phenylaza-[18] crown-6 ether analogues. Probe 1 shows a high K+/Na+ selectivity and a 2.5-fold fluorescence enhancement was observed in the presence of 100 mm K+ ions. A fluorescent membrane sensor, which was prepared by incorporating probe 1 into a hydrogel, showed a fully reversible response, a response time of 150 s, and a signal change of 7.8% per 1 mm K+ within the range 1-10 mm K+. The membrane was easily fabricated (only a single sensing layer on a solid polyester support), yet no leaching was observed. Moreover, compound 1 rapidly permeated into cells, was cytocompatible, and was suitable for the fluorescent imaging of K+ ions on both the extracellular and intracellular levels.
The new N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) precursors 4,5-dicyano-1, -dimesityl- (9) and 4, 5-dicyano-1, 3-dineopentyl-2-(pentafluorophenyl)imidazoline (14) were synthesized. 9 could be determined by X-ray crystallography. With the 2-pentafluorophenyl-substituted imidazolines 9 and 14, the [AgCl(NHC)], [RhCl(COD)(NHC)], and [RhCl(CO)(2)(NHC)] complexes [NHC = 4, 5-dicyano-1, 3-dimesitylimidazol-2-ylidene (3) and 4, 5-dicyano-1, 3-dineopentylimidazol-2-ylidene (4)] were obtained. Crystal structures of [AgCl(3)] (15), [RhCl(COD)(3)] (17), [RhCl(COD)(4)] (18), and [RhCl(CO)(2)(3)] (19) were solved and with the crystal data of 19, the percent buried volume (%V-bur) of 31.8(+/- 0.1)% was determined for NHC 3. Infrared spectra of the imidazolines 9 and 14 and of the complexes 15-20 were recorded and the CO stretching frequencies of complexes 19 and 20 were used to determine the 3 ( (-1)) and 4 ( (-1)), thus proving that 1, 3-substitution of maleonitrile-NHCs does not have a significant effect for the high -acceptor strength of these carbenes.
We have synthesized a set of new unsaturated macrocyclic dithioethers with an increasing number of flexible methylene units 1-7 (Scheme 2) to investigate the correlation between the ring size of these ligands, the chelation effect and the consequences for an efficient PdCl2 coordination. The dithioethers 1-7 and the complex [PdCl2(4)]center dot CHCl3 were characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis. The crystal structures of 1-7 show that 2-7 are better preorganized chelating ligands for an exocyclic PdCl2 coordination than 1. The chelation effect of 1-7, the orientation of the sulfur atoms and the S center dot center dot center dot S donor distances, are influenced by the flexibility of the methylene units. In this series the unsaturated macrocyclic ligands 5 and 6 are the best chelating ligands for an efficient PdCl2 coordination. Comparative solvent extraction experiments with mn-12S(2)O(2) (mn = maleonitrile) reveal that the low interface activity of the new ligands reduces the extraction rate. However, a comparison with open-chain dithiomaleonitriles shows the impact of the macrocyclic effect of 4 and 5 on the extraction yield.
In a systematic approach we synthesized a new series of fluorescent probes incorporating donoracceptor (D-A) substituted 1,2,3-triazoles as conjugative -linkers between the alkali metal ion receptor N-phenylaza-[18]crown-6 and different fluorophoric groups with different electron-acceptor properties (4-naphthalimide, meso-phenyl-BODIPY and 9-anthracene) and investigated their performance in organic and aqueous environments (physiological conditions). In the charge-transfer (CT) type probes 1, 2 and 7, the fluorescence is almost completely quenched by intramolecular CT (ICT) processes involving charge-separated states. In the presence of Na+ and K+ ICT is interrupted, which resulted in a lighting-up of the fluorescence in acetonitrile. Among the investigated fluoroionophores, compound 7, which contains a 9-anthracenyl moiety as the electron-accepting fluorophore, is the only probe which retains light-up features in water and works as a highly K+/Na+-selective probe under simulated physiological conditions. Virtually decoupled BODIPY-based 6 and photoinduced electron transfer (PET) type probes 35, where the 10-substituted anthracen-9-yl fluorophores are connected to the 1,2,3-triazole through a methylene spacer, show strong ion-induced fluorescence enhancement in acetonitrile, but not under physiological conditions. Electrochemical studies and theoretical calculations were used to assess and support the underlying mechanisms for the new ICT and PET 1,2,3-triazole fluoroionophores.
In this paper, we report simulations of laser-driven many-electron dynamics by means of the time-dependent configuration interaction singles (TD-CIS) approach. Photoionization is included by a heuristic model within calculations employing standard Gaussian basis sets. Benzo[g]-N-methyl-quinolinium-7-hydroxylate (BMQ7H) serves as a test system to generate predefined wave packets, i.e. a superposition between the ground and fifth excited state, in a large molecule. For this molecule, these two states have a very similar geometry, which enables us to use the fixed nuclei approximation. Furthermore, this geometric stability would also prevent a dephasing of the electron wave packet due to nuclear dynamics in an experimental realization of our simulations. We also simulate the possible detection of such a wave packet by ultra short probe laser pulses, i.e. pump-probe spectra.
Sugar-based molecules and polysaccharide biomass can be turned into porous functional carbonaceous products at comparably low temperatures of 400 °C under a nitrogen atmosphere in the presence of an ionic liquid (IL) or a poly(ionic liquid) (PIL). The IL and PIL act as "activation agents" with own structural contribution, and effectively promote the conversion and pore generation in the biomaterials even at a rather low doping ratio (7 wt%). In addition, this "induced carbonization" and pore forming phenomenon enables the preservation of the biotemplate shape to the highest extent and was employed to fabricate shaped porous carbonaceous materials from carbohydrate-based biotemplates, exemplified here with cellulose filter membranes, coffee filter paper and natural cotton. These carbonized hybrids exhibit comparably good mechanical properties, such as bendability of membranes or shape recovery of foams. Moreover, the nitrogen atoms incorporated in the final products from the IL/PIL precursors further improve the oxidation stability in the fire-retardant tests.
Sugar-based molecules and polysaccharide biomass can be turned into porous functional carbonaceous products at comparably low temperatures of 400 degrees C under a nitrogen atmosphere in the presence of an ionic liquid (IL) or a poly(ionic liquid) (PIL). The IL and PIL act as "activation agents" with own structural contribution, and effectively promote the conversion and pore generation in the biomaterials even at a rather low doping ratio (7 wt%). In addition, this "induced carbonization" and pore forming phenomenon enables the preservation of the biotemplate shape to the highest extent and was employed to fabricate shaped porous carbonaceous materials from carbohydrate-based biotemplates, exemplified here with cellulose filter membranes, coffee filter paper and natural cotton. These carbonized hybrids exhibit comparably good mechanical properties, such as bendability of membranes or shape recovery of foams. Moreover, the nitrogen atoms incorporated in the final products from the IL/PIL precursors further improve the oxidation stability in the fire-retardant tests.
A polymer analogous reaction for the formation of imidazolium and NHC based porous polymer networks
(2013)
A polymer analogous reaction was carried out to generate a porous polymeric network with N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHC) in the polymer backbone. Using a stepwise approach, first a polyimine network is formed by polymerization of the tetrafunctional amine tetrakis(4-aminophenyl)methane. This polyimine network is converted in the second step into polyimidazolium chloride and finally to a polyNHC network. Furthermore a porous Cu(II)-coordinated polyNHC network can be generated. Supercritical drying generates polymer networks with high permanent surface areas and porosities which can be applied for different catalytic reactions. The catalytic properties were demonstrated for example in the activation of CO2 or in the deoxygenation of sulfoxides to the corresponding sulfides.
Molecular rods consisting of a hydrophobic backbone and terminally varying functional groups have been synthesized for applications for the functionalization of membranes. In the present study, we employ a spin-labeled analogue of a recently described new class of molecular rods to characterize their dynamic interactions with membranes. By using the different approaches of ESR and NMR spectroscopy, we show that the spin moiety of the membrane-embedded spin-labeled rod is localized in the upper chain/glycerol region of membranes of different compositions. The rod is embedded within the membrane in a tilted orientation to adjust for the varying hydrophobic thicknesses of these bilayers. This orientation does not perturb the membrane structure. The water solubility of the rod is increased significantly in the presence of certain cyclodextrins. These cyclodextrins also allow the rods to be extracted from the membrane and incorporated into preformed membranes. The latter will improve the future applications of these rods in cellular systems as stable membrane-associated anchors for the functionalization of membrane surfaces.
Acetanilides can be deacetylated and diazotized in situ, and subsequently used in Pd-catalyzed coupling reactions without isolation of the diazonium intermediate. Heck reactions, Suzuki cross-coupling reactions, and a Pd-catalyzed [2+2+1]cycloaddition have been investigated as terminating CC bond-forming steps of this one-flask sequence. The sequence does not require the exchange of solvents or removal of by-products between the individual steps, but proceeds by addition of reagents and catalysts in due course.
Experimental results indicated the contact angles in the drops of Janus emulsions formed in a one-step mixing process to be invariant within a significant range the oil volume ratios, similar to the results from microfluidics emulsification. Since this result points to a connection between the kinetically formed emulsions and the local equilibrium topology of emulsion drops, the effect of interfacial tensions on the morphology of Janus emulsions was estimated from the equilibrium interfacial tensions at the line of contact. Realistic values of the tensions revealed the limited range of these to obtain Janus drops and also offered correlation between the equilibrium entities and the curvature of the interface between the two oils.
Six-color time-resolved forster resonance energy transfer for ultrasensitive multiplexed biosensing
(2013)
Simultaneous monitoring of multiple molecular interactions and multiplexed detection of several diagnostic biomarkers at very low concentrations have become important issues in advanced biological and chemical sensing. Here we present an optically multiplexed six-color Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) biosensor for simultaneous monitoring of five different individual binding events. We combined simultaneous FRET from one Tb complex to five different organic dyes measured in a filter-based time-resolved detection format with a sophisticated spectral crosstalk correction, which results in very efficient background suppression. The advantages and robustness of the multiplexed FRET sensor were exemplified by analyzing a 15-component lung cancer immunoassay involving 10 different antibodies and five different tumor markers in a single 50 mu L human serum sample. The multiplexed biosensor offers clinically relevant detection limits in the low picomolar (ng/mL) concentration range for all five markers, thus providing an effective early screening tool for lung cancer with the possibility of distinguishing small-cell from non-small-cell lung carcinoma. This novel technology will open new doors for multiple biomarker diagnostics as well as multiplexed real-time imaging and spectroscopy.
In the oxidative system (t-BuOCl+NaI) trifluoromethanesulfonamide is regio- and stereoselectively added to only one double bond of cyclopentadiene and 1,3-cyclohexadiene giving rise to 1,1,1-trifluoro-N-(5-iodocyclopent-2-en-1-yl)methanesulfonamide 7 and trans-N,N'-cyclohex-3-en-1,2-diylbis(1,1,1-trifluoromethanesulfonamide) 8. The structure of 7 and 8 was determined by X-ray, NMR, and MS. With 1,4-cyclohexadiene, addition to both double bonds occurs with the formation of N,N'-(4-chloro-5-iodocyclohexan-1,2-diyl)bis(1,1,1-trifluoromethanesulfonamide) 9. Under the action of sodium iodide in acetone, the latter product undergoes halogenophilic attack with the reduction of the CHI group and elimination of HCl to give trans-N,N'-cyclohex-4-en-1,2-diylbis(1,1,1-trifluoromethanesulfonamide) 10, whose structure was also determined by X-ray analysis. 1,3,5-Cycloheptatriene under these conditions is oxidized to benzaldehyde and does not react with trifluoromethanesulfonamide.
Transcriptome analysis through next-generation sequencing technologies allows the generation of detailed gene catalogs for non-model species, at the cost of new challenges with regards to computational requirements and bioinformatics expertise. Here, we present TRAPID, an online tool for the fast and efficient processing of assembled RNA-Seq transcriptome data, developed to mitigate these challenges. TRAPID offers high-throughput open reading frame detection, frameshift correction and includes a functional, comparative and phylogenetic toolbox, making use of 175 reference proteomes. Benchmarking and comparison against state-of-the-art transcript analysis tools reveals the efficiency and unique features of the TRAPID system.
Effect of ionic strength and layer number on swelling of polyelectrolyte multilayers in water vapour
(2013)
The swelling behavior of polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) of poly(sodium-4 styrene sulfonate) (PSS) and poly(diallyl dimethyl ammonium chloride) (PDADMAC) prepared from aqueous solution of 0.1 M and 0.5 M NaCl are investigated by ellipsometry and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). From 1 double-layer up to 4 double-layers of 0.1 M NaCl, the amount of swelling water in the PEMs decreases with increasing number of adsorbed double layers due to an increase in polyelectrolyte density as a result of the attraction between the positively charged outermost PDADMAC layer and the Si substrate. From 6 double layers to 30 double layers, the attraction is reduced due to a much larger distance between substrate and outermost layer leading to a much lower polyelectrolyte density and higher swelling water. In PEMs prepared from aqueous solution of 0.5 M NaCl, the amount of water constantly increases which is related to a monotonically decreasing polyelectrolyte density with increasing number of polyelectrolyte layers. Studies of the surface topology also indicate a transition from a more substrate affected interphase behavior to a continuum properties of the polyelectrolyte multilayers. The threshold for the transition from interphase to continuum behavior depends on the preparation conditions of the PEM.
Fluorescent gold clusters synthesized in a poly(ethyleneimine) modified reverse microemulsion
(2013)
This paper is focused on the formation of gold clusters in a tailor-made polyelectrolyte-modified reverse microemulsion using poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI) as a cationic polyelectrolyte. PEI incorporated into a ternary w/o microemulsion consisting of water/heptanol/zwitterionic surfactant 3-(N,N-dimethyl-dodecylammonio)-propanesulfonate (SB) acts as a reducing and stabilizing agent and shows an additional template effect. The nanoparticle synthesis is performed by a simple mixing of two microemulsions, one containing the PEI and the other one containing the gold chloride precursor. UV-vis measurements in the microemulsion show two pronounced absorption maxima, one at 360 nm and the other one at 520 nm, indicating two particle fractions. The absorption maximum at 360 nm in combination to the unique fluorescence properties indicate the formation of gold clusters. After a complete solvent evaporation the redispersed nanoparticles have been characterized by using UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopy, in combination to dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In addition to the gold nanoparticle fraction (>5 nm) the fluorescent gold cluster fraction (<2 nm) can be redispersed without particle aggregation. By means of asymmetric flow field flow fractionation (AF-FFF) two different cluster fractions with particle diameter (<2 nm) can be identified.
A homogeneous time-resolved luminescence resonance energy transfer (TR-LRET) assay has been developed to quantify proteins. The competitive assay is based on resonance energy transfer (RET) between two luminescent nanosized particles. Polystyrene nanoparticles loaded with Eu3+ chelates (EuNPs) act as donors, while protein-coated quantum dots (QDs), either CdSe/ZnS emitting at 655 nm (QD655-strep) or CdSeTe/ZnS with emission wavelength at 705 nm (QD705-strep), are acceptors. In the absence of analyte protein, in our case bovine serum albumin (BSA), the protein-coated QDs bind nonspecifically to the EuNPs, leading to RET. In the presence of analyte proteins, the binding of the QDs to the EuNPs is prevented and the RET signal decreases. RET from the EuNPs to the QDs was confirmed and characterized with steady-state and time-resolved luminescence spectroscopy. In accordance with the Forster theory, the approximate average donor acceptor distance is around 15 nm at RET efficiencies, equal to 15% for QD655 and 13% for QD705 acceptor, respectively. The limits of detection are below 10 ng of BSA with less than a 10% average coefficient of variation. The assay sensitivity is improved, when compared to the most sensitive commercial methods. The presented mix-and-measure method has potential to be implemented into routine protein quantification in biological laboratories.
An asymmetric variant of the dehydro-Diels-Alder (DDA) reaction has been developed and applied in the atropselective synthesis of various (1,5)naphthalenophanes. Whereas the suitability of the photochemically induced DDA (PDDA) was limited, the thermally induced DDA provided the desired product, depending on the chiral auxiliary used and the length of the linker, with nearly perfect stereoselectivity. Furthermore, the mechanism of the DDA was investigated by means of DFT calculations, and a stepwise mechanism involving 1,4-biradicals was suggested.
Fluoreszenzfarbstoffe mit Dioxolobenzodioxol-Grundgerüst: Synthese, Untersuchungen und Anwendungen
(2013)
Standard quantum chemical methods are used for accurate calculation of thermochemical properties such as enthalpies of formation, entropies and Gibbs energies of formation. Equilibrium reactions are widely investigated and experimental measurements often lead to a range of reaction Gibbs energies and equilibrium constants. It is useful to calculate these equilibrium properties from quantum chemical methods in order to address the experimental differences. Furthermore, most standard calculation methods differ in accuracy and feasibility of the system size. Hence, asystematic comparison of equilibrium properties calculated with different numerical algorithms would provide a useful reference. We select two well-known gas phase equilibrium reactions with small molecules: covalent dimer formation of NO2 (2NO(2) reversible arrow N2O4) and the synthesis of NH3 (N-2 + 3 H-2 reversible arrow 2NH(3)). We test four quantum chemical methods denoted by G3B3, CBS-APNO, W1 and CCSD(T) with aug-cc-pVXZ basis sets (X = 2, 3, and 4), to obtain thermochemical data for NO2, N2O4, and NH3. The calculated standard formation Gibbs energies Delta(f)G degrees are used to calculate standard reaction Gibbs energies Delta(r)G degrees and standard equilibrium constants K-eq for the two reactions. Standard formation enthalpies Delta H-f degrees are calculated in a more reliable way using high-level methods such as W1 and CCSD(T). Standard entropies S degrees for the molecules are calculated well within the range of experiments for all methods, however, the values of standard formation Gibbs energies Delta(f)G degrees show some dependence on the choice of the method. High-level methods perform better for the calculation of molecular energies, however, simpler methods such as G3B3 and CBS-APNO perform quite well in the calculation of total reaction energies and equilibrium constants, provided that the chemical species involved do not exhibit molecular geometries that are difficult to handle by the applied method. The temperature dependence of standard reaction Gibbs energy Delta(r)G degrees for the NH3 reaction is discussed by using the calculated standard formation Gibbs energies Delta(f)G degrees of the reaction species at 298.15 K. The corresponding equilibrium constant K-eq as a function of temperature is found to be close to experimental values.
The present paper is related to interactions between strongly alternating polyampholytes, i.e., copolymers of N,N'-diallyl-N,N'-dimethylammonium chloride and maleamic acid derivatives, varying in hydrophobicity and excess charges and the oppositely charged anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Surface tension measurements have revealed a complex behavior with the formation of polyampholyte-SDS complexes at water air interfaces which depends on both the hydrophobic character of the polyampholyte and electrostatic attractive forces between the polyampholyte and the anionic surfactant in dependence on pH. Hereby, maleamic acid copolymers with additional carboxylic groups in the phenylic side chain show a significant lower surface tension at the critical association concentration (CAC) due to the formation of surface-active SDS complexes and multicomplexes. In the presence of only one carboxylic group in the p-position the CAC can be strongly shifted by varying the pH due to repulsive electrostatic interactions.
In many biological and environmental applications spatially resolved sensing of molecular oxygen is desirable. A powerful tool for distributed measurements is optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR) which is often used in the field of telecommunications. We combine this technique with a novel optical oxygen sensor dye, triangular-[4] phenylene (TP), immobilized in a polymer matrix. The TP luminescence decay time is 86 ns. The short decay time of the sensor dye is suitable to achieve a spatial resolution of some meters. In this paper we present the development and characterization of a reflectometer in the UV range of the electromagnetic spectrum as well as optical oxygen sensing with different fiber arrangements.
1,2-Diketones were synthesized from styrenes by combining a cross metathesis and a Ru-catalyzed alkene oxidation to an assisted tandem catalytic sequence. The synthesis relies on the use of just one metathesis precatalyst, which was in situ converted to the oxidation catalyst by addition of an alkyl hydroperoxide as a chemical trigger and oxidant. The one-flask sequence can be extended beyond 1,2-diketones to quinoxalines, by condensation of the oxidation products with ortho-phenylenediamine.
Laser-based ion mobility (IM) spectrometry was used for the detection of neuroleptics and PAH. A gas chromatograph was connected to the IM spectrometer in order to investigate compounds with low vapour pressure. The substances were ionized by resonant two-photon ionization at the wavelengths lambda = 213 and 266 nm and pulse energies between 50 and 300 mu J. Ion mobilities, linear ranges, limits of detection and response factors are reported. Limits of detection for the substances are in the range of 1-50 fmol. Additionally, the mechanism of laser ionization at atmospheric pressure was investigated. First, the primary product ions were determined by a laser-based time-of-flight mass spectrometer with effusive sample introduction. Then, a combination of a laser-based IM spectrometer and an ion trap mass spectrometer was developed and characterized to elucidate secondary ion-molecule reactions that can occur at atmospheric pressure. Some substances, namely naphthalene, anthracene, promazine and thioridazine, could be detected as primary ions (radical cations), while other substances, in particular acridine, phenothiazine and chlorprothixene, are detected as secondary ions (protonated molecules). The results are interpreted on the basis of quantum chemical calculations, and an ionization mechanism is proposed.
The detection of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) by 2 + 1 resonance-enhanced multi-photon ionization (REMPI) and the application of H2S as a laser dopant for the detection of polar compounds in laser ion mobility (IM) spectrometry at atmospheric pressure were investigated. Underlying ionization mechanisms were elucidated by additional studies employing a drift cell interfaced to a time-of-flight mass spectrometer. Depending on the pressure, the primary ions H2S+, HS+, S+, and secondary ions, such as H3S+, were observed. The 2 + 1 REMPI spectrum of H2S near lambda = 302.5 nm was recorded at atmospheric pressure. Furthermore, the limit of detection and the linear range were established. In the second part of the work, H2S was investigated as an H2O analogous laser dopant for the ionization of polar substances by proton transfer. H2S exhibits a proton affinity (PA) similar to that of H2O, but a significantly lower ionization energy facilitating laser ionization. Ion-molecule reactions (IMR) of H3S+ with a variety of polar substances with PA between 754.6 and 841.6 kJ/mol were investigated. Representatives of different compound classes, including alcohols, ketones, esters, and nitroaromatics were analyzed. The IM spectra resulting from IMR of H3S+ and H3O+ with these substances are similar in structure, i.e., protonated monomer and dimer ion peaks are found depending on the analyte concentration.
Sulfonated polyanilines have become promising building blocks in the construction of biosensors, and therefore we use here differently substituted polymer forms to investigate the role of their structural composition and properties in achieving a direct electron transfer with the redox enzyme pyrroloquinoline quinone-dependent glucose dehydrogenase (PQQ-GDH). To this end, new copolymers containing different ratios of 2-methoxyaniline-5-sulfonic acid (MAS), 3-aminobenzenesulfonic acid (ABS) and 3-aminobenzoic acid (AB) units have been chemically synthesized. All polymers have been studied with respect to their ability to react directly with PQQ-GDH. This interaction has been monitored initially in solution, and subsequently on electrode surfaces. The results show that only copolymers with MAS and aniline units can directly react with PQQ-GDH in solution; the background can be mainly ascribed to the emeraldine salt redox state of the polymer, allowing rather easy reduction. However, when polymers and the enzyme are immobilized on the surface of carbon nanotube-containing electrodes, direct bioelectrocatalysis is also feasible in the case of copolymers composed of ABS/AB and MAS/AB units, existing initially in pernigraniline base form. This verifies that a productive interaction of the enzyme with differently substituted polymers is feasible when the electrode potential can be used to drive the reaction towards the oxidation of the substrate-reduced enzyme. These results clearly demonstrate that enzyme electrodes based on sulfonated polyanilines and direct bioelectrocatalysis can be successfully constructed.
Nicotinamide (nia) has been employed as a supramolecular reagent in the synthesis of four copper(II) chloro- and dichlorobenzoate (Clbz/Cl(2)bz) complexes. The structures of the compounds [Cu(2-Clbz)(2) (nia)(2)(H2O)(2)] (1), icu(4-clbz)(2)(nia)(2)(H2O)(2)] (2), [Cu(3,5-Cl(2)bz)(2)(nia)(2)(H2O)(2)] (3), and [Cu(2,5-Cl(2)bz)(2) (nia)(2)(H2O)]center dot H2O (4) were determined. All the investigated compounds 1-4 reveal water molecules as coordinated. Their structures show distorted octahedral chromophores (CuN2O2O)-N-II'(2), though some are better described as square-planar or square-pyramid due to a large deviation of the axial ligand away from the octahedral z-axis along with different Cu center dot center dot center dot O (axial) lengths. The equatorial positions are occupied in all four cases by two nitrogen (nia-py) atoms and two carboxylate oxygen atoms of two Clbz/Cl(2)bz ligands, while the axial positions are occupied by water molecules. The EPR spectra reveal for all 1-4 compounds a spin state of S = 1/2, mostly with axial symmetry of the spectra. Their resolution is clearly dependant to the crystal symmetry related equivalence of the magnetic sites. The coordination molecules of all compounds are connected by N-H center dot center dot center dot O and O-H center dot center dot center dot O H-bonds from nicotinamide NH2 groups, carboxylate anions and/or water molecules, which create supramolecular chains or further H-bonded into 2D sheets. Steric hindering of the chlorine atoms of the Clbz/Cl(2)bz, especially seen at the coordination of the water molecules, demonstrates its role at the coordination sphere appearance. Despite this influence, the water molecules in 1-4 always assist at the similar supramolecular H-bonded network, almost at the same manner.
User-friendly protocols for the protecting group-free synthesis of 2,2'-biphenols via Suzuki-Miyaura coupling of o-halophenols and o-boronophenol are presented. The reactions proceed in water in the presence of simple additives such as K2CO3, KOH, KF, or TBAF and with commercially available Pd/C as precatalyst. Expensive or laboriously synthesized ligands or other additives are not required. In the case of bromophenols, efficient rate acceleration and short reaction times were accomplished by microwave irradiation.
Stereoselective synthesis of dienyl phosphonates via extended tethered ring-closing metathesis
(2013)
Allylphosphonates of allylic alcohols were converted to conjugated dienyl phosphonates in a one-flask reaction, comprising a ring-closing metathesis (RCM), a base-induced ring-opening, and an alkylation. The ring-opening proceeds with very high diastereoselectivity, giving exclusively the (1Z,3E)-configured dienes. Single diastereomers and mixtures of diastereomers can be used as starting materials without noticeable effect on the diastereoselectivity of the sequence.
The adsorption of boron (boric acid) from aqueous solutions on alumina has been investigated at pH 8.0, I=0.1M NaClO4, T=22 +/- 3 degrees C, and under normal atmospheric conditions. The characterization of the adsorbed species was performed by Raman spectroscopy and the spectroscopic speciation was assisted by theoretical DFT calculations. Evaluation of the spectroscopic data points to the formation of inner-sphere surface complexes and indicates the formation of two different types of adsorbed boron species. The theoretical calculations corroborate the spectroscopic data and indicate that at low boron concentration the monodentate surface species dominates, whereas increased boron concentration favors the formation of a bidentate surface species. Assuming low coverage, the conditional formation constant for the monodentate surface species has been evaluated to be log=4.1 +/- 0.1.
Awards
(2013)
An amphiphilic linear ternary block copolymer was synthesised in three consecutive steps via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerisation. Oligo(ethylene glycol) monomethyl ether acrylate was engaged as a hydrophilic building block, while benzyl acrylate and 3-tris(trimethylsiloxy)silyl propyl acrylate served as hydrophobic building blocks. The resulting "triphilic" copolymer consists thus of a hydrophilic (A) and two mutually incompatible "soft" hydrophobic blocks, namely, a lipophilic (B) and a silicone-based (C) block, with all blocks having glass transition temperatures well below 0 A degrees C. The triphilic copolymer self-assembles into spherical multicompartment micellar aggregates in aqueous solution, where the two hydrophobic blocks undergo local phase separation into various ultrastructures as evidenced by cryogenic transmission electron microscopy. Thus, a silicone-based polymer block can replace the hitherto typically employed fluorocarbon-based hydrophobic blocks in triphilic block copolymers for inducing multicompartmentalisation.
Assessment of coupled cluster theory and more approximate methods for hydrogen bonded systems
(2013)
To assess the accuracy of post-Hartree-Fock methods like CCSD(T), MP3, MP2.5, MP2, SCS-MP2, SOS-MP2, and DFT-SAPT, we evaluated several effects going beyond valence-correlated CCSD(T). For 16 small hydrogen bonded systems, CCSD(T) achieves an RMS error of 0.17 kJ/mol in the dissociation energy compared to our best estimate, which is a composite method akin to W4 theory. The error of CCSD(T) is thus much lower than for atomization energies. MP2 is surprisingly accurate for these systems with an RMS error of 1.3 kJ/mol. MP2.5 yields a clear improvement over MP2 (RMS of 0.5 kJ/mol) but still has an error about 3 times as large as CCSD(T) for the absolute RMS and almost 10 times as large for the relative RMS. error. Neither SCS-MP2, SOS-MP2, nor DFT-SAPT yield lower errors than MP2. With a Delta CCSD(T) correction to MP2, the basis set limit is readily achieved when employing diffuse functions-without these, the convergence is rather slow.
The transport of bioactive compounds to the site of action is a great challenge. A promising approach to overcome application-related problems is the development of targeting colloidal transport systems, such as micelles which are equipped with uptake mediating moieties. Here, we investigated a set of novel lipopeptides which exhibit a surfactant-like structure due to attachment of two palmitoyl chains to the Nterminus of cationic or anionic amino acid sequences. We analyzed the association behavior of these lipopeptides by using 5(6)-carboxyfluorescein (CF)-labeled derivatives as a fluorescent probe and different spectroscopic methods such as fluorescence anisotropy and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS). The photophysical properties as well as the diffusion and rotational movements of the CF-labeled lipopeptides were exploited to determine the cmc and the size of the micelles consisting of lipopeptides. We could distinguish cationic and anionic lipopeptides by their association behavior and by studying the interactions with mouse brain capillary endothelial cells (b.end3). The cationic derivatives turned out to be very strong surfactants with a very low cmc in the micromolar range (0.5-14 mu M). The unique combination of micelle-forming property and cell-penetrating ability can pave the road for the development of a novel class of efficient drug carrier systems.
Starting from the conveniently available ex-chiral pool building block (R,R)-hexa-1,5-diene-3,4-diol, the ten-membered ring lactones stagonolide E and curvulide A were synthesized using a bidirectional olefin-metathesis functionalization of the terminal double bonds. Key steps are (i) a site-selective cross metathesis, (ii) a highly diastereoselective extended tethered RCM to furnish a (Z,E)-configured dienyl carboxylic acid and (iii) a Ru-lipase-catalyzed dynamic kinetic resolution to establish the desired configuration at C9. Ring closure was accomplished by macrolactonization. Curvulide A was synthesized from stagonolide E through Sharpless epoxidation.
Fluorescence probes consisting of well-established fluorophores in combination with rigid molecular rods based on spirane-type structures were investigated with respect to their fluorescence properties under different solvent conditions. The attachment of the dyes was accomplished by 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition between alkynes and azides (click' reaction) and is a prime example for a novel class of sensor constructs. Especially, the attachment of two (different) fluorophores on opposite sides of the molecular rods paves the way to new sensor systems with less bulky (compared to the conventional DNA- or protein-based concepts), nevertheless rigid spacer constructs, e.g., for FRET-based sensing applications. A detailed photophysical characterization was performed in MeOH (and in basic H2O/MeOH mixtures) for i) rod constructs containing carboxyfluorescein, ii) rod constructs containing carboxyrhodamine, iii) rod constructs containing both carboxyfluorescein and carboxyrhodamine, and iv) rod constructs containing both pyrene and perylene parts. For each dye (pair), two rod lengths with different numbers of spirane units were synthesized and investigated. The rod constructs were characterized in ensemble as well as single-molecule fluorescence experiments with respect to i) specific roddye and ii) dyedye interactions. In addition to MeOH and MeOH/NaOH, the rod constructs were also investigated in micellar systems, which were chosen as a simplified model for membranes.
An anionic microporous polymer network prepared by the polymerization of weakly coordinating anions
(2013)
The equilibrium topology of an aqueous Janus emulsion of two oils, O1 and O2, with water, W, [(O1+O2)/W], is numerically evaluated with the following realistic interfacial tensions (): (O2/W)=5 mNm(-1), (O1/O2)=1 mNm(-1), and (O1/W) varies within the range 4-5 mNm(-1), which is the limiting range for stable Janus drop topology. The relative significance of the two independently pivotal factors for the topology is evaluated, that is, the local equilibrium at the line of contact between the three liquids and the volume fraction of the two dispersed liquids within the drop. The results reveal a dominant effect of the local equilibrium on the fraction of the O2 drop surface that is covered by O1. In contrast, for a constant volume of O2, the impact of the interfacial tension balance on the limit of the coverage is modest for an infinite volume of O1. Interestingly, when the O1 volume exceeds this value, an emulsion inversion occurs, and the O1 portion of the (O1+O2)/W topology becomes a continuous phase, generating a (W+O2)/O1 Janus configuration.
The non-ionic monomer (methoxy diethylene glycol) acrylate is copolymerized with its azodye-functionalized acrylate analogue using reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. Copolymerization is increasingly difficult with increasing amounts of the azo-dye-bearing monomer. The resulting water-soluble polymers are thermosensitive, exhibiting lower critical solution temperature (LCST) behavior, which can be modulated by the photoinduced trans-cis isomerization of the dye. While already small contents of the hydrophobic azobenzene group reduce the phase-transition temperatures of the copolymers strongly, photoisomerization of the apolar trans-state to the more-polar cis-state has only a small effect, and decreases rather than increases the cloud points.
We report on the influence of localized surface plasmon resonance excitation of Au@SiO2 core-shell nanoparticles on the amplified spontaneous emission of a semiconductor polymer composite (F8BT/MEH-PPV). Au@SiO2 nanoparticles are compatible with the donor-acceptor polymer matrix and get uniformly distributed within the whole polymer film. The plasmon resonance band of the nanoparticles correlates with both the emission and excitation spectra of the polymer composite, as well as with the donor emission and acceptor excitation spectra. We demonstrate that resonantly excited Au@SiO2 nanoparticles enhance the amplified spontaneous emission and the modal gain of the polymer films. The measurement of influential factors reveals that the emission is enhanced predominantly by the increase of acceptor excitation rate, which is accompanied by depletion of the FRET efficiency and increase of quantum yield. The enhancement factor is increased by both introducing a higher loading of plasmonic nanoparticles in the polymer film and increasing the excitation energy. This work shows that these plasmonic nanoantennas are able to enhance the stimulated emission of semiconductor polymers by improving the size mismatch between the excitation light and the emitting polymer.
Despite the critical importance of the hydroxyl radical in major scientific fields, there are still open questions on the behavior of this species in the aqueous phase. In particular, there has been much debate on the existence of a hemibonded interaction between the hydroxyl radical and water molecules. While some reports indicate that the hemibonded radical might explain some experimental data, others have claimed that this interaction is simply a density functional theory (DFT) artifact. Here, we provide results from high level (basis set limit of coupled-cluster levels up to single, double, triple excitations (CCSD(T)) and beyond) ab initio calculations of different OH center dot(H2O)(n) clusters in the gas phase to accurately explore the existence of the hemibonded interaction and its energy difference with respect to other well-defined hydrogen bond interactions. Additional comparisons with second order perturbation theory (MP2) and DFT are also presented. Constrained molecular dynamics was applied to determine the free energy for the formation/disruption and ice systems. Overall, our findings confirm that the hemibond can be an alternative structure for the hydroxyl radical in the condensed phase when the formation of hydrogen bonds is impeded. These results will aid the understanding of theoretical and experimental data and help future experimental designs for the detection of this important species.
A suitable vehicle for integration of bioactive plant constituents is proposed. It involves modification of proteins using phenolics and applying these for protection of labile constituents. It dissects the noncovalent and covalent interactions of beta-lactoglobulin with coffee-specific phenolics. Alkaline and polyphenol oxidase modulated covalent reactions were compared. Tryptic digestion combined with MALDI-TOF-MS provided tentative allocation of the modification type and site in the protein, and an in silico modeling of modified beta-lactoglobulin is proposed. The modification delivers proteins with enhanced antioxidative properties. Changed structural properties and differences in solubility, surface hydrophobicity, and emulsification were observed. The polyphenol oxidase modulated reaction provides a modified beta-lactoglobulin with a high antioxidative power, is thermally more stable, requires less energy to unfold, and, when emulsified with lutein esters, exhibits their higher stability against UV light. Thus, adaptation of this modification provides an innovative approach for functionalizing proteins and their uses in the food industry.
Tetrahalidocuprat(II)-komplexe : Untersuchungen zur Relation von Struktur- und EPR-Parametern
(2013)
A six-step synthesis of the antidepressant rolipram from the popular analgetic 4-acetamidophenol (paracetamol) is described. The steps include oxidative functionalization of the aromatic core, diazonium salt formation via deacetylation-diazotation, Matsuda-Heck reaction, conjugate addition of nitromethane, and hydrogenative cyclization.
Various 1,6- and 1,8-naphthalenophanes were synthesized by using the Photo-Dehydro-Diels-Alder (PDDA) reaction of bis-ynones. These compounds are easily accessible from omega-(3-iodophenyl)carboxylic acids in three steps. The obtained naphthalenophanes are axially chiral and the activation barrier for the atropisomerization could be determined in some cases by means of dynamic NMR (DNMR) and/or dynamic HPLC (DHPLC) experiments.
Cross metathesis of allyl alcohols how to suppress and how to promote double bond isomerization
(2013)
Under standard conditions the cross metathesis of allyl alcohols and methyl acrylate is accompanied by the formation of ketones, resulting from uncontrolled and undesired double bond isomerization. By conducting the CM in the presence of phenol, the catalyst loading and the reaction time required for quantiative conversion can be reduced, and isomerization can be suppressed. On the other hand, consecutive isomerization can be deliberately promoted by evaporating excess methyl acrylate after completing cross metathesis and by adding a base or silane as chemical triggers.
4-Phenol diazonium salts undergo Pd-catalyzed Heck reactions with various styrenes to 4'-hydroxy stilbenes. In almost all cases higher yields and fewer side products were observed, compared to the analogous 4-methoxy benzene diazonium salts. In contrast, the reaction fails completely with 2- and 3-phenol diazonium salts. For these substitution patterns the methoxy-substituted derivatives are superior.
Solid surfaces are modified using photo-crosslinkable copolymers based on oligo(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (OEGMA) bearing 2-(4-benzoylphenoxy) ethyl methacrylate (BPEM) as a photosensitive crosslinking unit. Thin films of about 100 nm are formed by spin-coating these a priori highly biocompatible copolymers onto silicon substrates. Subsequent UV-irradiation assures immobilization and crosslinking of the hydrogel films. Their stability is controlled by the number of crosslinker units per chain and the molar mass of the copolymers. The swelling of the hydrogel layers, as investigated by ellipsometry, can be tuned by the crosslinker content in the copolymer. If films are built from the ternary copolymers of OEGMA, BPEM and 2-(2-methoxyethoxy) ethyl methacrylate (MEO(2)MA), the hydrogel films exhibit a swelling/deswelling transition of the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) type. The observed thermally induced hydrogel collapse is fully reversible and the onset temperature of the transition can be tuned at will by the copolymer composition. Different from analogously prepared thermo-responsive hydrogel films of photocrosslinked poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), the swelling-deswelling transition occurs more gradually, but shows no hysteresis.
A polymer analogous reaction for the formation of imidazolium and NHC based porous polymer networks
(2013)
A polymer analogous reaction was carried out to generate a porous polymeric network with N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHC) in the polymer backbone. Using a stepwise approach, first a polyimine network is formed by polymerization of the tetrafunctional amine tetrakis(4-aminophenyl)methane. This polyimine network is converted in the second step into polyimidazolium chloride and finally to a polyNHC network. Furthermore a porous Cu(II)-coordinated polyNHC network can be generated. Supercritical drying generates polymer networks with high permanent surface areas and porosities which can be applied for different catalytic reactions. The catalytic properties were demonstrated for example in the activation of CO2 or in the deoxygenation of sulfoxides to the corresponding sulfides.
A new class of star-shaped, liquid crystalline, low-molecular weight compounds functionalized with photochromic azobenzene and mesogenic groups was investigated in terms of light-induced anisotropy. The behaviour of the materials under the action of light with simultaneous or subsequent thermal treatment was examined with respect to the induction of anisotropy. The unconventional UV light treatment prior to the irradiation with linearly polarized light allowed induction of very high values of anisotropy (D = 0.77) at room temperature. Moreover, the simultaneous action of light and temperature led to the induction of higher values of dichroism in comparison with anisotropy generated by the standard procedure. Subsequent thermal treatment led to dewetting and the formation of 3D macroscopic stripe- and dome-like structures for one of the investigated compounds. Despite photoinduction of anisotropy by a single beam, the formation of polarization and surface relief gratings by two-beam interference pattern was also investigated.
Two synthetic approaches to functionalize plant oil derived platform chemicals were investigated. For this purpose, methyl 10-undecenoate, which can be obtained by pyrolysis of castor oil, was used in olefin cross-metathesis under neat conditions forming an unsaturated a,?-acetoxy ester. A catalyst screening with 11 different ruthenium-based metathesis catalysts was performed, revealing that well-suited catalysts allow for full conversion and very good cross-metathesis selectivity at a loading of only 0.5?mol%. An alternative possibility to the aforementioned synthetic method is a palladium-catalyzed reaction of methyl 10-undecenoate with acetic acid in the presence of dimethyl sulfoxide. Here, the formation of linear and branched unsaturated acetoxy esters as well as a ketone was observed. The conversion as well as the selectivity of this procedure was studied under different reaction conditions and compared to the cross-metathesis results. Based on the successful functionalization of methyl 10-undecenoate, methyl oleate was investigated in this palladium-catalyzed C?H activation reaction. Due to the lower reactivity of the internal double bond the desired acetoxy ester was only obtained in moderate conversion in this case. In summary, this study clearly shows that palladium-catalyzed functionalization of unsaturated fatty compounds via C?H activation is an attractive alternative to the well-established olefin cross-metathesis procedure.
L-edge spectroscopy of 3d transition metals provides important electronic structure information and has been used in many fields. However, the use of this method for studying dilute aqueous systems, such as metalloenzymes, has not been prevalent because of severe radiation damage and the lack of suitable detection systems. Here we present spectra from a dilute Mn aqueous solution using a high-transmission zone-plate spectrometer at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS). The spectrometer has been optimized for discriminating the Mn L-edge signal from the overwhelming 0 K-edge background that arises from water and protein itself, and the ultrashort LCLS X-ray pulses can outrun X-ray induced damage. We show that the deviations of the partial-fluorescence yield-detected spectra from the true absorption can be well modeled using the state-dependence of the fluorescence yield, and discuss implications for the application of our concept to biological samples.